Issue date: 2/5/07 Section: News

Wade Barker - THE BATTALION Acie Law IV, center, celebrates with a crowd of fans assembled when the team arrived home early Sunday at Reed Arena after defeating Kansas on Saturday.

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Texas A&M guard Acie Law IV tried to play off arguably the biggest win in A&M basketball history as just another day at the office. His charade lasted only about five minutes.

"I just want to win," Law said with a smile. "But to get Kansas on their home court, prime time action, and hit that shot in the clutch, that's a great feeling."

With 23.9 seconds left, Law hit a 3-pointer while being tightly defended by Kansas guard Brandon Rush, to give the Aggies a 67-66 lead. The shot proved to be the game-winner as A&M won, 69-66, becoming the first Big 12 South team to defeat Kansas on its home court.

Law's shot brought about comparisons to his game-winning 3-pointer against Texas in 2006, but he ultimately admitted the basket at Allen Fieldhouse was sweeter considering the implications. Law led the Aggies with a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the second half.

The victory against Kansas could vault the Aggies to their first ever top five ranking, but Law said it was no more important than any other Big 12 game.

"People are going to say what they're going to say," Law said. "But we're going to go out and lay it on the line each and every time we step on the court, whether they like us or not."

Coach Billy Gillispie acknowledged the importance of the win in regards to the Aggies' positioning in the Big 12, but additionally expressed similar sentiments to Law following the game.

"We were both fighting for our lives and I'm not into monumental deals, we're not into that," Gillispie said. "But it's a great win for us on their home floor."

The Aggies seemed to be out of the game twice in the second half, as the Jayhawks led by 11 halfway through the second half, and then 10 with 6:33 to play. But in the end it was Law who kept A&M within striking distance, as he scored 10 of the Aggies' final 13 points.

"We tried hard and won the battle of the glass," said Kansas head coach Bill Self. "But all in all, we did not have an answer for Law late (in the game)."

The Jayhawks had 40 rebounds, including 19 offensive boards, compared to the Aggies total of 29. An ever-critical Gillispie was pleased with how hard his team played in the final minutes, but was sure to mention where improvements needed to be made.

"They really exposed us with their speed and offensive rebounding," Gillispie said.

Down by 10 points late in the second half, the Aggies closed out the game on a 17-4 run.

Immediate reaction following the game included discussion of a Big 12 championship, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and even a national championship. But a stoic Gillispie would admit nothing more than the difficulty of the rest of the Aggies' Big 12 schedule.

"You never know," Gillispie said. "I know that sounds boring, but you have to take it one at a time."

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